


She Talks In This One

by taubir



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gods, Guns, One-Sided Attraction, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, brief nudity, for now, nothing graphic, title may change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-28 18:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18762169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taubir/pseuds/taubir
Summary: "Zora watched his face closely, searching for signs of a prank or joke—or something worse, like one of his shady schemes. But when Drifter’s expression remained in the “hopeful apprehension” category, Zora had to come to terms with the notion that the Drifter may have possibly just asked her out on a date."In which the Drifter offers Zora something.





	She Talks In This One

It was a ritual they did now. While Zora took off her Titan armor and stepped into the spray of cold mountain water, Ghost kept watch. Yes, it was dangerous to keep him outside when the potential for monsters saturated the air. But Zora kept her hand cannon close, and had learned how to shoot with her eyes closed now. Besides, Ghost knew how to keep himself hidden. The EDZ shell was hideous, but it did the trick in green foliage.

Today there was an intruder.

Zora had just finished squeezing the last of the measly shampoo packet out of her white hair when Ghost came zooming into view. “Guardian,” was all he had to say. Zora stepped out of the spray at once, and adjusted her ears to pick up for movement.

Beyond the spatter of water against rocks, it was quiet. No wind today, but the sky was cloudy, and promised showers in the evening. No bird stirred, no cricket chirped. Someone was definitely out there.

Silently, Zora picked up her gun and signaled for Ghost to transmat on her underarmour. Each garment he transmatted would make a small noise, but Zora would rather not fight someone while stark naked. Ghost himself transmatted out of sight.

“Show yourself,” she commanded to the empty air, prepared to pursue for an answer.

But she didn’t have to. Zora untensed just slightly as a familiar, ratty-looking conman stumbled into view, both hands attached securely to his face to show that he was not looking.

“Didn’t realize this was the place god-killers came to bathe,” said the Drifter, all crooked smiles beneath his gloves.

Zora lowered her gun and huffed. Of course it was the Drifter. “It’s not.”

“Oh, good! Then does that mean I can move my hands…?”

Zora had forgotten him already, deeming him not a threat, and had stooped to put on the rest of her armor manually. “If you wish.”

The Drifter’s grin widened once he could see again, and Zora did not like the way he looked at her. “Zora! Esteemed Guardian of the Tower, how goes it? The water warm?”

 _No. It’s freezing_ , thought Zora. “Why are you here, Drifter?”

The Drifter put up his hands. “Hey, hey, easy. I’m just tryin’ to make conversation, that a crime now?”

< _Make conversation? More like he’s trying to deliver his sales pitch_ ,> murmured Ghost in her head. Zora was inclined to agree. The Drifter would never be this friendly if there wasn’t something he wanted.

After fastening her last boot strap, the Titan stood and walked right up to the Drifter. He shifted awkwardly as she drew close, and she stopped just before bumping chestplates. Something was up with him today, she could see as she peered into those shady, flickering eyes. And she wanted to know what it was.

“I’m going into the mines,” she announced suddenly, after staring him down just a few seconds more. “If you have something to say to me, then say it now. Because where I’m going requires…stealth.”

“Oh, I can be quiet! Believe it or not, sometimes I’m actually able to—” He mimed zipping his lips shut.

Zora sniffed once in disbelief, and turned to walk away. The Drifter followed eagerly behind, like a curious puppy.

“Come on, Lightbearer. It never hurts to have a friend by your side!”

“And _why_ so friendly all of a sudden?” She shot back.

The Drifter had never approached Zora like this before. In all the time she’d known him, the Drifter had kept his distance. She felt his eyes on her whenever she was in his vicinity, of course, whenever she had to pass through the alleyways to deliver a Vanguard report. He was always watching her, like a cat watching a mouse. But he stayed rooted to his stand, surrounded by Tower Guardians itching for dark power. Now that Zora thought about it, however, those Guardians had probably kept him from going anywhere. With so many eyes watching his every move, the Drifter couldn’t pull anything.

Now he had her all alone. Zora did not like the situation.

The Drifter chuckled. “Seems I’ve got you nervous.”

“That’ll happen when you spy on somebody bathing.”

He withdrew a little at that, and Zora felt it again—the feeling that something was wrong. The Drifter would never be so open, choosing instead to mask all his emotions behind distracting banter. But here he was in front of her, looking for all the world like he was actually ashamed.

“Heh, well, if it makes ya feel any better, I wasn’t peeping or nothing. I simply found you at the wrong place at the wrong time. And let me say, you are _not_ an easy woman to find.”

“That’s not a coincidence,” she muttered.

She summoned up her Sparrow and was swinging a leg over her vehicle when Drifter slapped a hand down on the hood. She glared at him, starting to get irritated.

“Guardian—Zora. That’s your name, right? Look, I don’t usually do things like this, so cut me some slack, yeah?” The Drifter bit his lip, hesitating. Zora found it within herself to be patient, curiosity over the Drifter’s strange behavior outweighing her annoyance. “I...know you ain’t a big fan of Gambit. All those motes just rub you the wrong way. Heard all this from rumors, ‘course, since you ain’t much of a talker to me.”

Zora raised a single eyebrow.

“Right, my point. Jeez, even without words you still manage to speak your mind clearly.” He paused, clearly thinking over his next words carefully. “I know you don’t like Gambit. So how about you and I do a little Crucible together instead?”

Zora watched his face closely, searching for signs of a prank or joke—or something worse, like one of his shady schemes. But when Drifter’s expression remained in the “hopeful apprehension” category, Zora had to come to terms with the notion that the Drifter may have possibly just asked her out on a date.

Fighting the urge to sigh out loud, Zora reached underneath the handlebars and turned the Sparrow’s engine off. But she wasn’t dismounting. No, she just needed the Drifter to hear her next words very clearly, as she was _not_ going to repeat them.

“Drifter,” she said, staring firmly into his eyes. “You don’t know a single thing about me. And no one knows anything about _you_ —other than that you’re a lying, secretive con-artist that hides in the shadows and entices young Guardians into his alleyway with promises of riches and power. _I_ am a Titan that has slain gods and and carried all of humanity on my own two shoulders. If you think that there is any _semblance_ of connection between the two people I just described, then you are delusional.” Zora stopped to breathe when she noticed her anger was starting to overtake her rationality. But only momentarily. “The next time you want to talk to me,” she continued, making sure to enunciate each word carefully, “ _pick a better time to do it_.”

Then she revved up her engine and was gone in a streak of smoke.

 

* * *

 

Drifter watched her go until she turned a clump of trees and was out of sight for good. He grimaced, more for his sake than anything else, and called up his ship to take him out of here. “Well,” he laughed to his Ghost, who remained unresponsive as ever, “that pretty much went as I expected.”


End file.
